Atomfall is full of atmosphere, but with a very British tone. I’ve not seen an environment feel so “familiar” since Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. And as someone who lives in a similar looking village, and has always imagined what it might be like exploring the rural woods, caravan parks, and cottages therein, this feels like a fever dream that’s almost too close to home. Oh and there’s robots around the place, because why not?
Rebellion as a developer conjures up a lot of thoughts. For the past few years the team has been making successful entries into the Sniper Elite series, with spin offs like Zombie Army, and ventures into VR. Atomfall, though, hits differently. There’s no x-ray cam for sniper rifles here, and you’re not attempting levels and clearing objectives.
The area of Britain you’re playing in has fallen asunder and is quarantined thanks to a nuclear disaster, and you’ll explore, scavenge, fight, and craft all manner of tools in order to survive. And after playing for a few hours, frankly, I’m all in.
In a presentation before playing, Ben Fisher, Head of Design for the game said “We wanted players to feel like a detective”, and honestly, I haven’t enjoyed exploring a world so much in quite some time. All the weapons feel viable, with multiple ways to approach situations. But that detective feeling is what I came away thinking the most about. And yes, there are going to be plenty of Easter Eggs to find in the game, from nods to Sniper titles, to deeper Rebellion stuff. Fans will be pleased.
I’ve attended many preview sessions for games over the years, but what I’ve learned is that if given the chance, don’t spend too long on the “main objective”, and instead, explore the world and see what it has to offer. I’m pleased to say Atomfall feels right, when doing this. Off the beaten path I discovered a dilapidated old country cottage with an aging owner inside. She had lost her “Jeeves” (not his name), and I discovered a lead to where he might be. Tracking him down, he had not only already passed on, but it turns out by leaving, he was trying to find help for her.
It all ties into this overall feeling of mystery in Atomfall, that something isn’t right. Finding her man-servant, it turns out her sister had locked herself in the conservatory for some unknown purpose, explaining why she had previously been so adamant that you not go near that location. Returning to the manor with this information, the lady of the house basically says you’re her new “Jeeves” and gives you the key, whereby you discover the truth of the matter. You’re rewarded with some nice loot, and a story that has a conclusion, and sheds more light on the rest of the world you’re existing in. And it felt great.
This is just one of the many smaller adventures I experienced in my hands-on time with Atomfall. Doing so revealed mechanics of the game to me, such as the way you can learn skills through finding books, or recipes. These are one time use, and at first it seemed odd I could find duplicate versions. You can’t learn them again, but you can barter with them. The barter system lets you swap out from your inventory with NPCs who have goodies you want. These skill books, when not needed, are a valuable resource, and often let you get the best bits without emptying your pockets too much.
Everywhere on the map (which seemed to be a smaller part of an overall much, much larger location) felt ripe for pickings. Given the limited time I had, there were places I couldn’t fully explore, but everywhere of import seemed like there was something to do. The map is like an ordnance survey one, and minimal compared to so many other titles. You find things by exploring, whereby you’ll pencil the information in on the map with a small drawing.
And then there’s the metal detector. If you are near a buried cache, or piece of buried treasure (there are collectibles) it will beep, and a quick hit of “Y” on control will bring it up. It’s a simple enough mini-game to find the source, whereby you can dig things up and fill your boots with the loot.
I alluded to it earlier, but I’m getting on in my years, and I’ve played games (a lot of them) for a long time. I say this because I finished my hands-on with Atomfall feeling tremendously excited. I have seen the developers say “it’s not Fallout in the UK”, and I can even understand when seeing the trailers why people might feel that it is that. But having played it, that’s not quite what this is. In fact, I’d argue it has more in common with the very best examples of titles like Far Cry, than Fallout.
The combat is hefty, and rewarding. Guns don’t have loads of ammo everywhere, but they are powerful. You can stealth through almost every encounter (in my experience), or use a bow and arrow to take out enemies with guns from further away, then get in close with a knife, hatchet, or cricket bat. The world feels full of interesting locations to explore, and the voice acting is genuinely good, with characters I enjoyed meeting. There are items I found that I have no idea what they do, and it suggests deeper mechanics than even I experienced so far.
It’s not perfect, of course, even at this late stage of development. There were multiple moments I found myself thinking “Christ, I hope I can upgrade my inventory space”, which is especially relevant if you’re a person who wants to hoover up everything like a hungry anteater near a nest. But then, I also discovered a storage solution almost at the end of my session which appears to allow you to pull items back from any location you stored them at, Resident Evil-chest style. There are also some clumsy elements when it comes to verticality, mantling, or trying to slide down hills, etc. Nothing game breaking, just clumsy.
But more than anything, I’m truly excited to uncover more of the mysteries this gorgeous world holds. It might go without saying for a modern game, but it looks and sounds lovely. I went into my time with Atomfall with a strange trepidation; a combination of not knowing quite what to expect, but also thinking I secretly knew what this game would be.
After playing some of it, there is no element of it that didn’t feel strong. I am ready to explore the rural North again, and the biggest compliment I can give is that I didn’t want the session to end. Atomfall is a game firmly on my radar right now, and I cannot wait to jump back in.
Atomfall is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X on March 27th. It’ll also be in Game Pass on day one.
